NBA All Star Weekend Wrap Up

So the NBA's annual All Star Weekend has been nothing short of entertaining this year. As Toronto being the hosting city this year of course their golden child Drake had to make his presence known. He coached the Canadian team to a well deserved victory against Team USA. This event started off the weekend and was full of laughs as the 4 time Celebrity MVP, Kevin Hart coached the US team. He saw how much his team needed him as they were falling short late in the game therefore he decided to make his comeback. Unfortunately though, not even Jason Sudeikis's elite performance could hold of the beast that was Win Butler, who won MVP with his solid double-double. Butler when giving his MVP speech attempted to explain how "the US could learn a lot from Canada" with the upcoming election but was almost immediately cut off by ESPN Analyst, Sage Steele. Even with the continuous antics of Kevin Hart, the funniest moment of the night was Meek Mill's "L." He has to be the only person who can take a loss in a game he didn't participate in before it even started. During Drake's initial conversation with Hart, he said “I mean, if we’re talking city versus city, it’s been a tough year for you," referring to the fact that Hart and Meek Mill are both from Philadelphia.

As for Saturday's events, we saw some champions defend and keep their crown yet we also saw some fall short of continuing their reign. Starting with the Skills Contest, we saw Minnesota Timberwolves rookie big man, Karl-Anthony Towns face off with first time All Star, Isiah Thomas of the Boston Celtics. As the little big man, Thomas took an early lead, he was met at the 3-point line by Towns as they shot for the title. Many who would've naturally expected the All Star point guard to win, saw Towns raise the trophy in triumph. Maybe it was a little payback for the big men of the league seeming undervalued and unappreciated when it comes to All Star Weekend as of late. We then saw the Golden State shooters, Klay Thompson and Steph Curry shoot it out in a fashion we could only expect from "The Splash Brothers." Steph shot a competitive 23 in the championship round as we watched Klay catch fire just when he needed it most and dethroned his beloved brother with a championship earning 27. The night moved on as we witnessed what many are calling the greatest NBA Dunk Contest in at least the last decade. This event was so enthralling as we saw up and coming Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic face off with returning champion Zach LaVine. Both of these young men showed the true meaning of competition as they went at the rim with everything they had. The most famous dunk of the night is still in the process of being named by creative social media users. Gordon jumped over the mascot in a seated position putting the ball under himself as he pulled it from the other side and finished a dunk we'll all be talking about for years to come. Unfortunately for him though, it was last year's champion Zach LaVine who with his amazing acrobatics found a way to come out on top once again.

As for the main event All Star game, where fans watched the players they voted in along with the reserves who made the line-up, the All Stars put on a great showing as gratitude. In what would be the final All Star game for future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, he scored a repectable 10 points as he passed to torch to the young All Stars of the Western Conference. The game was phenomenal as the Western Conference was losing 40-43 early in the game but would rout behind Russell Westbrooks 31 points. Yet it wasn't all bad for the Eastern Conference in their 173-196 loss as they'd see Paul George set a record 9 three pointers as he lead them with 41 points. This captivating weekend may have brought back the fire in the hearts of all true NBA fans.